


Cookies & Cardio

by SymphonicFantasia



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Crush at First Sight, Hunk & Lance (Voltron) Friendship, Hunk owns a bakery, Keith and Shiro are Siblings, M/M, Mutual Pining, Nyma is his assistant, Self-Doubt, Shiro's an instagram star, Shunk, everyone's older, instagram au, side klance - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-17
Updated: 2018-01-17
Packaged: 2019-03-06 01:13:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13400304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SymphonicFantasia/pseuds/SymphonicFantasia
Summary: Hunk's wasn't one to spend all his time on social media. When he had a bakery to look after, he didn't have the time. Besides, he preferred to spend his free time reading, coming up with new baking ideas, or spending time with his cat Cannoli. He only allows himself one hour a day to look through his Facebook feed and check up on his mother and the rest of his family. That was all he needed and he was content with it.Until he saw Shiro's Instagram feed.





	Cookies & Cardio

**Author's Note:**

> I've had this adorable idea since I entered the Voltron fandom and that was back in late 2016. I always wanted to step forward and write it, and I'm glad I finally took the time to do so. There was a moment when I contemplated not posting it, but life's too short to not share your stories. I hope you enjoy it!

The resounding crack that sounded throughout the kitchen would concern anyone who heard it. For himself, though, it felt good.

Hunk stretched his arms far above his head and sighed. He needed that good stretch. He had been hunched over decorating a cake for hours now. It wasn’t good for his back, but when he brought this over to Lance’s house tomorrow, he knew that everyone would love it.

He stared down at the pink zebra decorated birthday cake, feeling proud of its triple layers and tiny flowers decorating it. It was nearly finished, and he was excited to see how everyone would like it, most of all the birthday girl. Hunk had been making the McClain family cakes since he was in university with Lance. They would enjoy them.

His fat orange tabby hopped onto another counter and meowed loudly. She extended her paw out to him, trying to touch him despite the distance.

Hunk smiled and scratched her ear. “Are you trying to tell me to take a break, Cannoli?” She meowed at him again, rubbing her head against his hand. “Alright, alright. Let’s sit in the living room for a bit, huh?”

Without ushering for her, Cannoli jumped off the counter and followed Hunk to the other room. He collapsed in his softest armchair and sighed softly. Cannoli jumped into his lap and made herself comfortable, kneading his legs until she was satisfied.

This was his life. The only thing that could make this more comfortable is if he had a cup of tea and a book in his hand. Since he didn’t have any of that, and it was too late to move Cannoli, he went for the next best thing: his phone. Hunk grunted as he pulled his phone out of his pocket, cooing softly to Cannoli when she made a displeased sound.

There wasn’t much he could do on his phone. Despite his friends being into social media, it wasn’t Hunk’s thing. He never had a Myspace, he didn’t have Snapchat, and he didn’t have Instagram. The only social media he spoiled himself with was Facebook, and that was only for his family and close friends. If it weren’t for them, Hunk wouldn’t have had that, either.

Lance was the one to urge him to get it and his mother endorsed it. Truthfully, Hunk did it more for his mother. She liked to send him pictures of what was changing in his hometown and within his family.

But Lance? He had a habit of tagging Hunk in a lot of things. A _lot_ of things.

There were some days where Hunk would log into Facebook without being on it for a few days to find that Lance had tagged him in at least several different things. Sometimes he could only go through half of them before he used up his entire social media hour just looking through what he tagged him in. If he hadn’t requested his mother to send him things via messenger, Hunk wouldn’t see a thing from her.

And today it seemed that Lance was on one of those kicks.

Hunk groaned up to the ceiling. He would rather get bitten by a cobra than go through all of Lance’s posts, but then he would never finish the decorating. With as much enthusiasm as a dog at a vet, Hunk scrolled through his Facebook feed.

Posts about cats, dogs, men dancing in heels, kids singing—the typical things that Lance usually posted. There were a few things sprinkled by Hunk’s family, but it was severely drowned by whatever his friend had decided to share with his feed.

His thumb faltered over a post and he scrolled back up to view it. It depicted a handsome man taking a selfie—which wasn’t unusual for Lance to share. He often shared things like that for everyone to see, but it never caught Hunk’s attention like this before. He wore a backward cap and a white tuft of hair stuck out from the hole. He was a muscular build and Hunk could see the metal casing of his arm—a prosthetic? Hunk would have thought it was a decorative sleeve, but light reflected off it.

His eyes wandered further down to the text written for the post:

_shiro_gone: It was a great day for my Cardio Tuesday! The weather was just beautiful for it and I couldn’t resist going a few extra miles. How has your workout day been? Let me know your #fitness stories and goals!_

Cannoli meowed and bumped her head against Hunk’s hand. She purred and nudged him until he put his phone down. “R-right, Cannoli. I should probably get back to work on that cake, right?”

Cannoli mewled again and jumped down from her lap. Hunk pocketed his phone and walked back to the kitchen. The cake was still waiting for him, looking lonely without the rest of its decorations. With a heavy sigh, Hunk walked back to the tools of his trade and went back to work.

But he kept thinking about that man from Lance’s post.

* * *

“There he is! The man with the cake!”

Hunk rolled his eyes, but there was a smile on his face. Around him, kids were running around, chasing each other with balloon swords and silly string. He didn’t want to be the one who had to clean all this up. Out of the kids that were running around, only three of them were part of Lance’s family. Hunk counted at least twenty if not twenty-three other kids. That was more kids than he wanted to handle.

But it was like Lance said, he was the man with the cake.

“It looks like a killer party,” Hunk said as he got through to the kitchen. Easing his way through a wave of children wasn’t easy. They parted for him like the Red Sea, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t difficult. They were busy playing and didn’t want to stop, even if he had cake in his hands.

“Yeah, Brenda’s entire class is here!” Lance said. He took hold of the cake and set it down on the counter. “We didn’t think that they’d all come, but they did. Mom had been up to her elbows in pizza dough last night.” He shook his head with a sigh. “I told her it would have been easier to order Domino’s, but she insisted that she make it all.”

“There’s no better pizza than your mom’s, though.”

Lance pointed a finger gun at him. “You got me there. We have some slices left for you, though. We know how much you love it.”

Hunk shrugged his shoulders. “The kids are more important to me. I could have waited another day for your mother’s famous pizza. It’s no big deal.”

“Just eat the food, Hunk.” Lance grabbed a covered plate and held it out for him to take.

Hunk took it and lifted the second plate off it. The smell of cheese and pepperoni wafted up and filled his lungs. It had been a while since he had the famous McClain pizza. He knew it would be delicious.

“Have you had anyone else commission you for desserts?”

Hunk covered the plate again. “I have a few more, but it’s not much. It’s not like the bakery survives on only that.” How long has he had the place? Maybe three years? Hunk had done well for himself over the years. Business wasn’t booming, but it wasn’t like he was suffering, either.

Lance smiled. He slapped Hunk’s arm. “There you go, buddy! I’m glad mom could help you out. Whenever you need help running the business, just let her know. She’s more than happy to give you a hand.”

Hunk appreciated that. After all, it was Mrs. McClain that helped him get his bakery up and running. She helped him balance the finances, helped him with the decoration, and even helped him hire workers that she thought were perfect for him. If it weren’t for her, Hunk’s bakery wouldn’t have taken off from the ground.

“Let her know that I appreciate it,” Hunk said. He opened his plate of food again and took a bite out of a slice. He chewed thoughtfully, watching as children ran in and out of the kitchen for a drink or to ask when they’ll have cake. Lance’s niece, Brenda, ran in to see the cake, thank him, and then ran back out. “What’s been going on with you lately, Lance?”

Lance beamed at Hunk’s question. He leaned in closer to him and grinned. “Dude, I’m about to do the best thing ever for my health.” At Hunk’s raised brow, he drummed his hands on the counter. “I’m joining the gym!”

Hunk choked on his next bite. He coughed until he took a few sips of grape soda. “Excuse me? Are you serious?”

“You bet your sweet ass that I am!” Lance hopped onto the counter. “I’m going to apply to the gym tomorrow. I’m going to go ahead and get super _buff_.” He flexed. Hunk decided not to tell him that he didn’t see any of his muscles stand out. “I’m so excited to get started.”

He had a feeling about what created this change in Lance, but Hunk had to ask anyway. “What brought this on?”

Lance wiggled his eyebrows at him. “I’m so glad you asked!” With a dramatic flair, he pulled his phone out. Hunk looked over his shoulder and watched as his thumb hit the Instagram app, bringing up his timeline for it. The first picture he saw was the man from last night. “Look at _this_ hunk, Hunk.”

Hunk nearly fumbled with Lance’s phone when it was shoved in his hands. He tried not to hold his breath as he stared at the picture. Lance leaned over and tapped the name “shiro_gone”, pulling up his profile. Hunk’s eyes immediately went to what his bio had said about him.

_Shiro | 30 | Patience yields focus and so does a workout. I’m just a #fitness guru ready to give out advice when you need it. All you can do is take it one step at a time!_

Hunk continued to scroll through his pictures, briefly glancing over the descriptions Shiro wrote for them. Cardio Tuesday, Glutes Wednesday, the list went on and on.

“Isn’t he handsome?” Lance asked.

“Uh, yeah, he is,” Hunk answered. He cleared his throat and handed Lance his phone back. He shoved his hands into his pocket, rocking back on his heels. “Do you really think that that’s a good reason to start working out? Just because some hot guy is inspiring you? I mean,” he gestured to Lance’s body, “do you really think you need it?”

“Hey, this body doesn’t just appear overnight,” Lance answered. “I gotta keep it fit and tone to impress everyone.”

Hunk should have known better than to question Lance. He remembered a time when he joined a Tai Kwon Do class just to try and impress the girl he had a crush on. That class lasted for a couple of lessons before Lance decided to quit. The girl ended up beating him in every round they were pitted against each other and he had enough.

He wondered how long this gym hype would last for him.

“Do you want to join me at the gym?” Lance asked, breaking him out of his thoughts.

Hunk wasn’t much of a fitness nut. He knew that he was healthy and didn’t particularly need it. Others—assholes, really—would say otherwise, but Hunk didn’t care much for their opinions. What mattered was what he thought about himself.

“I’m good, but thanks for the offer,” Hunk said. He rubbed his stomach. “If I feel like I need to get rid of the cake belly, then I’ll be sure to let you know. Until then, Cannoli and I are just gonna chill with what we are.”

“That cat is ridiculously overweight, Hunk.”

“She’s fluffy. Leave her alone.”

 

 

 

 

Hunk liked the bakery when it was closed. Even with all the cleaning done, he could still smell the sugar in the air and could feel the warmth of the kitchen. It was times like this that Hunk liked to make experiments. He found it was the best time to do it. No one else would be in the bakery and he was alone with his thoughts and a notepad.

He grabbed flour, almonds, sugar, everything that he would need and spread it across his working station. His notepad was already filled with a few ideas and he scrolled through the list until he found a recipe he wanted to try. Almond raspberry cookies, the idea had him salivated when he thought about how they would melt in his mouth. Hunk wanted others to love it as much as he did. The best way to do that was to create free samples, and that’s what he set out to do.

Hunk lost himself in his work as he prepped the ingredients and put them together. He always felt more at home while he was here. Surrounding by his cooking tools, his ingredients, and his ideas, Hunk felt more alive.

Maybe it was because he was used to cooking for people and seeing their smiling faces when they took a bite of his cooking. Why else would he go ahead and take commissions for cakes? Because he _loved_ seeing their enjoyment over something _he_ created.

The moment he put the first batch in the oven, Hunk was content. He set the timer and placed it beside his notepad. He contemplated starting on another idea, but he knew better than that. Besides, that wasn’t what his mind was on.

Hunk continued to think about Shiro.

His fingers itched to pick up his phone and look through any pictures that he could find. But Hunk didn’t have the Instagram app or an account with them. If he wanted to see them, then he would have to download the app and create an account. Would he really go so far just to see a pretty face?

He was already downloading the app before he finished asking himself that question.

Hunk wondered what was wrong with him. Was he that desperate to see him again? If he physically had a conversation with him, it would be different. If they had a civil conversation like two peoplewho just met and exchanged information about their lives, it would be different.

That wasn’t what happened, though. What happened was that Hunk had seen pictures of a man he thought was hot and wanted to see more of him.

Hunk set up some bullshit display name and signed up with his usual email. Once he got through all the profile making, keeping many things blank, he went about finding Shiro’s profile. _shiro_gone_ was an easy enough name to remember and there was no denying that his face was the first one smiling at Hunk when results popped up.

He scrolled through the images, catching up to the other pictures he had seen before. Shiro’s posts weren’t just about his exercise regimen. There were pictures of him at restaurants and showing off what he was eating for the night, and pictures of him with some friends and what Hunk assumed was family. Pictures of him on vacation at extraordinary places. The selfie of Shiro sitting on the edge of a cliff while showing the city far below him gave Hunk vertigo.

Even worse when Shiro took a picture while _hanging_ from the cliff. Hunk didn’t have a chance to wonder how he managed to do that.

The more Hunk scrolled through Shiro’s page, the more he thought about how cute he was. His face was charming, and he was motivational, something that Hunk didn’t have much in his life. Shiro seemed genuinely interested in other’s workouts, judging by the way he responded to others in the comments of his pictures. Hunk had never known anyone like that before.

“Hunk? What are you doing here?”

Nyma’s voice and the timer going off would have scared him to the ceiling if it were possible. Hunk scrambled to peel his oven mitts on and pull the cookies out of the oven. They weren’t burnt. Thank goodness.

Hunk turned around to see Nyma standing at the kitchen’s door, her purse slung over her shoulder. He felt like he was caught with his hand in the cookie jar, even if he was the one who _owned_ said cookie jar and made the cookies _inside_ it. “Uh… baking? What are _you_ doing here?”

Nyma raised a clipboard that he hadn’t seen in her hand and waved it. “I was doing an inventory check. It’s Saturday. We always do inventory checks on Saturdays.”

Oh. Right. Hunk had forgotten that Nyma took charge of that. She was his second in command.

“Sorry. I guess I forgot about that.”

Nyma laughed, a girlish laugh that had many of their customers swooning. She did manage to get the most sales when she was on the register. She walked over to the steaming tray of cookies and plucked one up, unfazed by the heat radiating off it. With a flick of her wrist, it went into her mouth. From how she seemed pleased and hummed, Hunk figured it tasted good.

“Delicious.” Jackpot. “How long have you been hiding these up your sleeve?”

“Not that long,” Hunk admitted. “I was thinking of having some of them as free samples tomorrow. If people like them, we can start selling them. Think you can work that out for me?”

Nyma scoffed. “Please. I can get everyone and their grandmothers to try a sample. You’ll be selling them by Monday.”

Hunk smiled at her assuring words, but his mind was elsewhere.

Far away on that cliff that Shiro had been sitting on.

* * *

This was a ridiculous idea. Hunk regretted it the moment he called Lance after arriving home from the bakery last night. Cannoli had meowed and pawed at him the moment he had walked through the door as if she knew what he was trying to do. That or she was trying to say she was hungry, but Hunk took it as the former rather than the latter. She was trying to stop him, and Hunk didn’t listen to her.

Maybe he should have.

Lance wore a smile on his face as he stood in front of the city’s local gyms. He looked dressed for success in some tank top and tights, a duffle bag slung across his body. Hunk didn’t feel overdressed, but he felt ridiculous in his shorts, tank top, and old beat up sneakers. It was too cold for all that.

“I half expected you to call me and say that you changed your mind! I kinda thought you were going to make up an excuse about the bakery. Something like, ‘Nyma’s sick and she needs a strong and handsome man to take care of her. Would you come by Lance?’”

“I wouldn’t do something like that.” Only because Hunk would never forgive himself if Nyma _did_ end up getting terribly sick. He rubbed his neck and stared at the tinted window. He could see the silhouette of people in there. “Are you ready to go in or?”

“You bet I am!” Lance wrapped his arm around Hunk. “Don’t worry, buddy. I know it’s a bit nerve-wracking to jump into the gym world, but I’m here for ya. Things are going to be smooth sailing.”

Hunk wondered just how true that was, but he was already here. There was no turning back. Lance wouldn't let him now that they were here.

The moment they stepped into the gym, Hunk felt out of place. The gym was filled with people of all shapes and sizes, but he still felt like he didn’t belong. He followed Lance around like a horse on a lead. His eyes darted everywhere, taking in all the different machines that helped tone parts of your bodies. He didn’t know where to start!

After they dropped their bags off in the locker room, Lance led him to an open section in the back. Yoga-type mats were lying on the floor, but he didn’t motion to them. Instead, he got down on the ground and started to stretch his body out. Hunk followed suit.

“So, what made you want to come to the gym, anyway?” Lance asked as he stretched to touch his toes. “I thought you were pretty content with keeping your baker’s belly.”

That was the line of conversation that Hunk wanted to avoid talking about. He knew that Lance would bring it up, but he was still hopeful that he wouldn’t. “I’m here mostly for you, you know? Just a little motivation to make sure you commit to this.”

Lance scoffed. “Hunk, when have I ever pulled out of my commitments?”

“Tae Kwon Do, that baking class I took up back in community college, fencing, the shooting range. I’m sure there are others, but those are the only ones off the top of my head.” Hunk looked over at him and smiled. Lance was sulking, but they both knew that Hunk was right.

“Yeah, well, this time I’m committing! I’ll be coming here four times a week,” Lance assured. He reached over and nudged at Hunk’s arm. “Think you’ll be coming with me on those days, buddy? It’ll be more fun if we come here together!”

Now that Hunk was thinking about it, _really_ thinking about it without the smell of sugar and flour clogging his nostrils, why _was_ he here? What did Hunk expect to see if he went to the gym with Lance? Did he really fool himself into believing that he would see Shiro here? That sounded ridiculous and Hunk berated himself for thinking like that.

“We’ll see, Lance. We’ll see.”

 

 

 

 

Nyma caught the tray before Hunk could drop it. He smiled sheepishly at her and allowed her to bring the tray to the front for display. “Sorry about that, Nyma. Thanks, though.”

She shook her head, sucking her teeth. “You should have stayed home after the gym, Hunk. I never knew _you_ to be someone to drop a tray of sweets.”

“I was trying not to,” Hunk muttered. He didn’t know how she knew about him going to the gym. Lance may be the one to blame. “I didn’t think my muscles would be this _sore_ afterward…” Not even a hot shower helped ease the soreness.

“How’d you let Lance drag you into something like _that_?”

Hunk still didn’t know how to answer that. It’s been hours since he was last at the gym and he still didn’t have a proper answer. Not for Lance, not for Nyma, not even for himself. It bothered him to acknowledge that he was there to possibly see Shiro. It twisted his stomach into something ugly when he dared to think that _that_ was the case.

“I don’t know, Nyma. I just don’t know.”

The bell over the door jingled and they both stood at attention.

Seeing Lance stride into the bakery wasn’t that unusual. There were times when he would come in every other day. He’d buy something sweet for his family, talk for a while, and then go home. Seeing him in the store was as usual as seeing Hunk behind the counter.

The unusual thing was seeing him come in with a guy. A guy whose shoulders were wrapped in Lance’s arm.

This was the first Hunk had ever seen of Lance hanging out so close to a guy that wasn’t himself. Yes, he knew that Lance had other friends, but Hunk had heard most of the stories about them. Seeing this man was as strange as seeing Nyma _not_ dolled up for the day.

As they approached the display case, Hunk analyzed the man Lance had brought in. He wasn’t alone. Nyma was beside him doing the same thing, but less inconspicuous than he was. She was never afraid of being honest or forward.

His face was constructed of sharp lines and full eyebrows. His eyes were a dark blue, right on the verge of turning purple. If Hunk didn’t know any better, he would have believed that it was a natural color anyone could have. Next to Lance, he looked stiff and out of place. He wasn’t scowling, but it seemed to Hunk that it was the one thing he did the most. He never liked seeing unhappy faces in his store.

“A new boyfriend?” Nyma said just barely above a whisper. Hunk was sure that she wasn’t trying to hide anything.

“I never heard of it,” Hunk answered. He made sure to keep his voice low.

Nyma stood up straight and smoothed down the front of her outfit, a nice pastel pink dress that had a lacy hem at the bottom. She wore tights beneath it to fight off the cold. “Allow me to pull the information out of them.”

Hunk didn’t stand a chance at stopping Nyma. She strode up to the display case, plastered on her best smile, and leaned on her elbows. He saw the flicker of her eyelashes as she looked up at the men. Hunk counted down the seconds in when she would start flirting in three, two, one…

“Is there anything special I can get you, boys?” Nyma asked. Her voice sounded sweeter than any of the treats in the case. She usually took that tone up when she wanted to make a sale.

Lance smiled back at her, but it was different. It didn’t seem flirtatious like it usually was. It was always an open invitation for Nyma to continue. They would go back and forth for hours before Nyma got him to take a $10 purchase home with him. That didn’t seem like it would happen today, though.

“Hey, Nyma. My buddy Keith here is looking for a birthday cake,” Lance answered. “I told him that Hunk had the best cakes around, but he insisted that he get a store-brought box and make it himself.”

“It tastes just the same…” Keith muttered, crossing his arms. Hunk would have eagerly told him that _no_ , they _didn’t_ taste just the same.

“Dude, no, it doesn’t taste the same,” Lance said in defense. Hunk was glad to hear him defend his baking. “But if you want a good cake for this guy, you need one of the _best_ cakes.” Lance made vague gestures towards Hunk. “You need a cake from my man Hunk here! Come on down, pal!”

For a sense of humor, Hunk acted like he was on a game show. He high fived imaginary people and shook their hands. Even Nyma got into it, kissing both of his cheeks as he got closer. The few other patrons and workers in the store were laughing, tilting their heads back and applauding him.

Keith didn’t even so much crack a smile. Hunk was sure that his scowl only got worse. It soured the mood in seconds. He never saw Nyma lose her smile so quickly before.

Hunk cleared his throat and wiggled his hands, getting the last bit of the humor out of him before he lost a potential client. “Hi. I’m Hunk, owner of the bakery you’re in right now.” He smiled and held his hand out for Keith to shake. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Keith stared at his hand for some time before he reached out and shook it. His handshake was firm, and it made Hunk wince a bit, but he straightened his face out before Keith could notice.

“Keith.” He pulled his hand back and crossed his arms. His eyes darted everywhere in the store, taking everything in before they fell on Hunk again. “It’s a, uh, nice place you got here.”

“Thanks,” Hunk said, feeling his cheeks ache from his smile. “I couldn’t help but overhear what you were saying about store-bought cake and the bakery kind. I don’t mean to brag, but there’s a difference between the two and their tastes—a major one. Do you… want to try a sample or two?”

Hunk could see how his fingers thrummed on his arm and his lips pursed. Keith was thinking it over and that was a good sign. It was always better to give the client a chance to his thoughts. Besides, Hunk was offering him _free_ samples. Who could turn down that offer?

“Alright. I’ll bite,” Keith said finally.

Lance laughed and rubbed at Keith’s arm. “That’s my man! Let’s get him a nice cake for his birthday.”

Hunk motioned for them to take a seat at the tables against the wall. He touched Nyma’s arm and she followed him to get a few of the cupcakes they made daily. He got the brilliant idea to make sample cakes out of cupcakes from his mother. She was the one who suggested it and it always worked like a charm. Whatever he didn’t give off as samples, they ended up being sold to someone else who wanted the cupcake to enjoy.

Red velvet, vanilla, chocolate, filled layers, double and dark chocolate, etc. There was a lot to pick from. Hunk only pulled a few from the display case, though. Keith didn’t seem like the type of person who wanted to spend hours picking out flavors for a birthday cake. Hunk’s had brides spend hours in his bakery—or he’s spent hours in their home while they decided on a specific flavor of cake and icing. For some, it was a long and difficult process.

Not Keith, though. Hunk knew that he would rather get things over quickly.

Nyma gave him a wave and Hunk squeezed his way back to the table with a tray and a covered knife in tow. Keith and Lance were muttering something to each other. It made them seem close to one another, but it stopped once Hunk got close. It only fueled Hunk’s curiosity to know even more about Lance and his new friend’s relationship.

After the cake testing.

Hunk set the tray on the table and sat down across from them. He watched as Keith regarded the tray of cupcakes. He looked confused. “This is just how I do sample cakes. It’s easier and there’s no chance of any of them being stale.”

“That’s a lot of cake,” Keith commented.

“There’s more in the display case, but I figured these were more than enough.” Hunk cracked his knuckles and picked up the knife. “Shall we get started?”

Keith sampled every one of the cakes that he had to offer. Hunk had cut them in half to make it easier for him, which Lance happily took to eat for himself. Keith didn’t look like he was displeased by what he was eating. It was hard for Hunk to read his expression. He never seen anyone _not_ have a reaction to anything he made. Hunk had even seen the strictest person crack a smile when something tasted good.

Keith was different, though.

After half an hour, Keith was leaning back in his seat, his arms crossed. His eyes wandered over the empty wrappers of the cupcakes he had eaten. Now Hunk was starting to get nervous. He hadn’t shown any interest in the cakes, even with Lance dropping comments after each bite.

Lance licked his thumb clean of strawberry frosting. “That was so _good,_ Hunk.” He nudged at Keith’s arm. “What do you think? Any of these cakes taste better than the store-bought brand?”

Keith looked up at Hunk, lips pursed. Hunk couldn’t help but feel nervous. “They do. They were good.”

Hunk was relieved. His shoulders sagged as he let out a sigh. “I’m glad you think so. I was starting to think you were missing the sweet portion of your taste buds.”

Keith raised an eyebrow at his joke and Hunk wondered if he had just lost out on a sale. Lance, however, quickly stepped into the conversation to save him.

“Keith is just so sour that it takes him some time to adjust to sweet things. Don’t mind him, Hunk.”

Hunk looked over to Keith, trying to see if he had any objections, but he remained silent. It didn’t seem like he was bothered by what Lance said. Considering his personality, Hunk expected him to have a biting retort and he was surprised when he didn’t have one. Pleasantly so, though. He didn’t want a fight to break out in his bakery.

Clearing his throat, he picked up his notepad and turned to a clean page. “Since you tried everything, is there a flavor that you’d like for the birthday cake?”

Keith looked over the wrappers again. “Double fudge chocolate cake and double fudge icing. Think you can get something sweet in between them all?”

Hunk stared at him. “Uh, sure, I can do that. What were you thinking of having?”

“Got something extra chocolate to match the cake?”

He chewed the inside of his cheek. Even Hunk thought that this was too much chocolate for one cake. One look at Lance and he could see that he agreed. It wasn’t their choice, though. “I can do that. Pardon the pun, but it’ll be a piece of cake.”

There was a cough that sounded somewhere in the bakery. From the counter, Hunk could hear Nyma smacking her forehead.

Hunk cleared his throat. “Is there a name or any special writing you want me to put on it?”

“Just ‘happy birthday’ will be fine,” Keith answered. “He doesn’t need anything special.”

“Harsh, man,” Lance said in response.

Hunk agreed, but he didn’t say it. Instead, he stood up and motioned for Keith to follow him to an empty register. He tallied up the price and Keith paid for it without complaint. It was a simple enough cake that he needed tomorrow. It may have been short notice, but Hunk did well under pressure—or that was what his mother said to him, at least.

An address and time were exchanged, and Lance left with Keith in tow, waving at Hunk over his shoulder.

Nyma slipped beside him, free from whatever customers she had been taking care of. She took his notepad and looked at the details of the cake. Hunk could see how her face twisted into a frown.

She turned the papers around, frowning even more. “That’s it? How… boring. You can make extravagant cakes, and _this_ is the one he wants?”

Hunk took the notepad and looked over the design. “It is, but who am I to complain? Two birthday cakes in one week? That’s not bad.”

“I guess. But he’s still plain as the nose on his face.”

“Please don’t start, Nyma.”

* * *

The elevator Hunk found himself in made him _nervous_.

It wasn’t old, but it was slow. It took longer than it should to get from floor to floor. He was starting to regret not taking the stairs, but Keith’s apartment was on the tenth floor. There was no way Hunk was going to make it up those stairs with a double layered cake on his own. He could have if Lance was around, but he couldn’t find him. The elevator was Hunk’s next best bet.

He was starting to regret it after he passed the third floor.

Arriving at the tenth floor filled Hunk with relief. He carried the cake down the halls until he reached Keith’s apartment door. There was no loud music, but he could hear the murmuring of people inside. Keith didn’t seem like someone who wanted a loud party. He didn’t seem like someone who would want a party at all.

Hunk struggled to knock on the door, but he managed, knocking with his elbow a few times. A minute passed before the door opened and Lance’s face was the first one he saw.

Hunk frowned at him. If he was going to be here, he could have at least helped him bring it over.

“I’m glad you could make it, Hunk!” Lance said as he threw the door open wider.

Hunk was still frowning as he walked into the apartment. “You could have told me you were going to be here…”

Lance didn’t seem too ashamed of what he had done. Hunk didn’t expect him to be. “Sorry about that. I didn’t know the elevator was that bad. I only found out an hour or so ago from Keith.”

He looked around the apartment as Lance led him to a table against the walls. He didn’t see Keith anywhere among the crowd. Hunk would like it if he saw the cake first before the birthday guest arrived to blow out their candles. The table was sparsely decorated with only a punch bowl, a few snacks, and now Hunk’s cake.

“So, where’s Keith?” Hunk asked Lance. He still looked around the apartment, trying to find a mop of messy hair somewhere in the crowd.

“He went to go and get the guest of honor.” Lance wrapped his arm around Hunk’s shoulders and pulled him close. “Now come on! Enjoy yourself. It’s a party!”

A party that Hunk technically _wasn’t_ invited to and felt uncomfortable being at. He was only meant to deliver the cake and then head out. Staying any longer seemed unprofessional to him. It was rare for him to even stay around for a wedding he made a cake for (but that was partial because he was uncomfortable at weddings.)

“I think it’d be better if I—”

“Ssh, ssh, everyone,” a girl with hair like starlight called out. “Keith said they’re coming up the stairs now. Get ready.”

Just like that, the lights went off, casting Hunk into darkness. There went his only escape route out of here.

They were in the dark for a while. Hunk wondered if they were taking the stairs or that dreadful elevator. If it was the elevator, they would be waiting here for a while. Lance was pressed against his side, seeming more excited than usual. It only served to make Hunk even more nervous.

The apartment door cracked open, allowing a single beam of light to fill up the room. Someone turned the light on and it blinded Hunk.

“Surprise!”

Hunk blinked and rubbed at his eyes, only to be the one surprised when he could finally see once more.

If Hunk had known that he was doing a birthday cake for Shiro, he would have done better. Right now, the cake seemed plain and boring compared to him.

Hunk tried to push himself further against the table and to the wall as Shiro laughed and hugged the few people around him. He seemed in his element thanking others as Keith led him to the table in the back. Right now, Hunk wanted to disappear again. He was frozen to the spot, though, the words caught in his mouth.

Keith brought Shiro up to the cake. “Happy birthday, old man. I picked the best cake out for you.”

Shiro laughed and ran his hands through his hair. Hunk couldn’t read the expression he had while staring at his plain piece of work. Maybe that was for the best. “Wow, Keith. You really made this? Seems like you’re ready to get hitched and move out, huh?”

Keith snorted, elbowing Shiro in the side. “No, not yet. I actually had it made at a bakery.”

Lance stepped in at this. He grabbed Hunk by his elbow and pulled him closer to the cake, and therefore Shiro. “My buddy Hunk did it, Shiro. He’s got the best bakery on this side of the city.”

That was an overstatement and Hunk could feel his face flushing from the compliment. It only got worse when Shiro directed his gaze towards him. If he could, he would have covered his face and hid away.

“Is that so?” Shiro questioned. He held out his bionic hand for Hunk to shake, who hesitated for only a moment before taking it. It was warm. “Thanks for making the cake then, Hunk. Sorry if Keith may have given you a hard time with the flavor.”

Hunk tried to speak, but his voice cracked. Lance was the only one who laughed and Shiro watched him with a patient smile. He cleared his throat and spoke again, “He didn’t give me a problem at all. Keith was probably my easiest client. You should see how some of the bridezillas are. I’ll never forget the time when one—”

Lance elbowed him in the side. He was rambling.

Hunk cleared his throat again. “He was fine.”

Shiro smiled and Hunk was filled with a warmth he hadn’t felt before. Even his laugh had his ears ringing and the hair on his arms standing up. “I’m glad for that. Why don’t we cut this cake up and give it out?”

Hunk was glad to do something with his hands and turn his attention away from Shiro.

Guests lined up behind him for a plate, stepping aside when they received it. Compliments were tossed at him for the taste and texture of the cake. Hunk was starting to regret not bringing business cards for people to take. Then again, he hadn’t expected to stay this long to receive any compliments. He was only meant to drop the cake off and leave.

Lance had forced him to stay and while he could have left, Shiro had quickly become the real reason he stayed. It made him feel a little bit more like a creep, but Hunk did his best to push the feeling aside. He hadn’t known that the party was for him.

Shiro was the last one to come by for a piece. He was all smiles and the warm feeling that had ebbed away came back full force, consuming Hunk like a wildfire. Hunk hoped that his hands weren’t shaking as much as he thought they were—he hoped that they weren’t shaking at all.

“Just a small one if you don’t mind,” Shiro said, offering Hunk his plate.

Hunk laughed or at least tried to. It sounded more like a squeak than anything. Shiro didn’t seem to mind. “Are you sure? I don’t mind giving you a bigger piece. You are the birthday boy after all.”

Shiro shrugged his shoulders. “That may be true, but if we’re going to be honest, my birthday won’t show up until the next leap year.”

Things didn’t fully click in Hunk’s mind yet. The gears turned sluggishly, fitting things into place until he finally got it. He smiled. “You’re a leap year baby.”

“Was,” Shiro corrected. “Now, I’m a leap year man.”

“Right, right. Well, who am I to deny the leap year man.” Hunk cut a piece smaller than the ones he had done before, perhaps even smaller than that. He gingerly placed it on Shiro’s plate and slipped a fork beneath it. “There you go. I… I hope you like it.”

“I’m sure I will.” Shiro leaned against the table and looked out among the other party members.

Hunk didn’t know what to do in this kind of situation. He expected Shiro to leave and talk with his friends. It would be a much more interesting thing to do than stay next to him and watch everyone else have fun. He fiddled with the utensils and plates as he thought about what he could say or do to make things interesting for him. Hunk was drawing a blank.

“Um—”

“Hunk!” Lance slipped in between them and hugged Hunk to him. “Man, everyone loves this cake. You can’t go two steps into the crowd without hearing about it!”

“O-oh, really?” Hunk asked, but he already knew the answer.

“It is a good cake,” Shiro commented, his fork hanging from his lips.

Hunk had heard the compliment a plenty of times before, but it felt different hearing it from Shiro. It made him feel so warm and happy. The last time a compliment had made him feel this way was when his culinary teacher, the owner of Vrepit Sal’s, tasted one of his first dishes. That had been years ago, though. He hadn’t expected Shiro’s comment to make him feel this way.

“I’m glad you thought so,” Hunk said. He wrapped his arm around Lance’s body and hugged him close. “Thanks for suggesting me to Keith. I wouldn’t have been here if it wasn’t for you.”

Lance grinned and kissed his cheek. “Glad I could help! Sucks that you didn’t prepare any business cards, but catch me giving out the bakery’s number and address while I’m here.” Hunk nearly tipped over when Lance disappeared from his side.

Shiro chuckled. “He’s a quick little one, isn’t he?”

Hunk laughed. “He’s always been like that.”

“Have you known him for long?”

“Oh, we’ve been friends since university. The only time we weren’t together were when we went to different colleges. We were always there for each other, though.”

Shiro smiled. “That’s sweet.”

“Yeah.” Hunk felt like he was grasping to say something, _anything_.

He couldn’t spend the evening talking about himself. Before he had wanted to get to know Shiro, but now that he was here next to him, Hunk was drawing a blank. It was pathetic, now that he was thinking about it.

“So—” Hunk’s cell phone rang from his pocket. He was surprised that he could hear it over the sound of the music. It helped that he could feel it vibrating against his leg. He smiled sheepishly at Shiro. “I-I’m sorry. Please give me a moment.”

“Of course.”

Hunk cursed his bad luck as he looked for a bathroom to slip into and take his call privately. Nyma’s name flashed across his screen and he knew he should answer, but he wanted to go back and talk to Shiro. He didn’t know what question died on his lips, but he wouldn’t know until he went back and tried again. Right?

He couldn’t do that to Nyma, though.

Hunk sighed through his nose and answered the call. “What’s up, Nyma?”

 _“I think we have an oven emergency over here. It broke down an hour ago and we haven’t been able to get it started again,”_ Nyma answered. She sounded frustrated. _“It’s a good thing that we were about to close up.”_

That old thing. It always broke down at the best of times, but taking care of it always took hours. The bakery had plenty of other ovens, but Hunk found out long ago that the one Nyma spoke off baked the best cupcakes. He needed that oven for his business to continue to thrive.

“Alright, I’ll be there soon,” Hunk assured. “Wanna chill with me until I’m done? I’ll treat you to dinner.”

_“Thai?”_

“If you’d want.” Hunk laughed. “One day, I’ll get you to eat some of my _actual_ cooking.”

_“I don’t doubt it. See you in a bit.”_

She hung up and Hunk pressed his back against the door. He had hoped to stay for a little while longer, but duty called when it called. Guess he would just have to go back to seeing Shiro through Instagram again.

Hunk exited the bathroom, allowing someone else to jet inside and slam the door shut. He politely made his way through the crowd until he reached the snack table again. Shiro stood there now with Keith and Lance. Keith wasn’t doing much of the talking; Shiro and Lance were the two going back and forth with their topic.

“That was one of my assistants at the bakery,” Hunk politely said as he got closer to them. “It looks like I have to head back and help repair one of our ovens. If I don’t, we’ll be screwed for making cupcakes tomorrow.”

“Oh no,” Shiro muttered. He looked sad.

“You should really get rid of that thing, man,” Lance pointed out.

“Then I can never deliver those delicious cupcakes to your family gatherings anymore,” Hunk countered. He knew that he was right, but even Lance’s mother and grandmother said that it was worth the cost of having it.

Lance pouted. “Alright. Fine.” He stepped forward and wrapped an arm around his waist. “Call me when you’re free so we can hang.”

“You know it.” Hunk turned his attention to Shiro and smiled sheepishly at him. He felt his face heat up when Shiro smiled at him. “I hope you continue to have a good birthday, Shiro.”

“Thank you, Hunk. Have a good night and good luck.”

After meeting Shiro, Hunk knew he would have a good one.

* * *

“Good to see the oven’s working.”

Hunk smiled at Nyma. “Yeah. It was touch and go last night, wasn’t it?”

“Mhm. I thought that we would need to overnight a new oven,” Nyma answered. She reached over and tapped the side of the oven. “It’s good to know that this old girl is still kicking.”

“Don’t jinx us, Nyma.” Hunk slipped on a pair of oven mitts and opened the oven. He pulled out a steaming fresh tray of cupcakes and placed them on the counter. They would be ready to decorate soon and then they would know for sure if the oven was working properly or not. Hunk hoped so.

Nyma crossed her arms. “You didn’t tell me last night, but how was that party Lance dragged you into?”

Hunk hadn’t forgotten about it. He didn’t want to tell Nyma because he knew what her attention would be focused on: Shiro. The one thing he didn’t need his assistant to think about was his infatuation with an Instagram star. Lance didn’t warn Hunk that Shiro would be there, but why would he? Hunk was rarely on social media as it was. How was Lance to know that he had seen the post?

More importantly, how would Lance know that Hunk was crushing hard on him.

“It was fun. Lance kinda forced me to stay there for a little while,” Hunk answered. “Everyone liked the cake at least and he said he would pass my information around.”

“Ah,” Nyma said with a grin. “That’s why we’ve had a few more customers than usual.” She stepped closer to him and nudged his side. “Look at Lance stepping up to the plate and being a good friend.”

“He always pulls through in the end,” Hunk said with a smile.

Nyma nudged his hip with hers and left the kitchen. Hunk sighed and stared up at the light hanging above him. It had taken him hours to fix the oven, but it worked now and that was important. The pleasant aroma of baked goods filled his lungs and he felt his worries melt away.

For some, their place of business would be the _cause_ of their stress, but not for Hunk. He loved to cook, he loved to bake, and this was the place that combined all of it. His bakery was his second home. He would have slept here if there was a good place to put his bed and Cannoli.

“Hey, Hunk,” Nyma said, poking her head back into the kitchen. “There’s someone here to see you.”

Hunk raised an eyebrow. He wasn’t expecting anyone to come by to pay him a visit. There were no appointments in his appointment book, and he had double checked that twice before coming into work this morning. The last thing he would have wanted was to accidentally skip out on a client.

“Do you know who it is?”

Nyma shook her head then smiled. “Not at all. He’s tall and handsome, though. I could bounce a quarter off that ass.”

Hunk didn’t want to believe it. The odds of Shiro coming here were a million to one. His steps were uncertain as he walked to the doorway and peeked his head out to see.

Sure enough, there was Shiro. He looked warm, dressed in tight jogging pants and multiple sweaters. Headphones were plugged in his ears, but Hunk couldn’t tell if anything was playing. Even standing out of place in his bakery he looked beautiful.

“What is he doing here…?” Hunk muttered to himself.

Nyma heard it, though, because of course she would. “You _know_ him? He’s the deity of everyone’s wet dreams. How’d that happen?”

Hunk dipped back into the kitchen before Shiro could see him. Nyma followed him. “The cake I made yesterday was for his birthday.”

“Lance failed to mention that he knew cute boys who knew _hot_ men. Think he can hook me up?”

He frowned at Nyma and she laughed, waving her hand to show that she was kidding. He wasn’t entirely sure if she was joking or not.

Hunk peeked his head back out of the kitchen. Shiro was still waiting patiently for him. Hunk couldn’t leave him out there until he left. There was no telling how patient he could be to see him. Besides, that would be rude, and his mother taught him better than that.

Hunk took a deep breath and stepped out of the kitchen. He tried to pretend that Nyma’s slap to his ass didn’t happen.

He nearly melted onto the tiled floor when Shiro noticed him and smiled. Why did he have to have such a dazzling smile? More importantly, why did it have to have such an effect on him?

They just met. Before that, they were nothing. The biggest label that Hunk could give himself was a creep that stalked Shiro’s Instagram photos for a few days straight. Even if no new pictures were posted, Hunk could still find himself looking through Shiro’s pictures during the very little time he gave himself for social media. There were even moments when Hunk wanted to take a peek during his working hours or just before going to sleep.

That couldn’t be healthy.

“It’s nice to see you again,” Hunk said as he braced his arms against the countertop. “Did you have fun at the party?”

“Actually,” Shiro chuckled, “I sent them away about half an hour after you left. I’m not really one for parties or celebrating my birthday.”

Hunk stared at him, tilting his head to the side. “Then why did you keep the party going for so long?”

“Formalities.” Shiro shrugged. “Keith isn’t one to party, either, so it surprised me when he gave me one. Although, that was his intent. It worked a little too well. He must have done it to get back at me for something I’ve done.”

“Like what?”

“I have _no_ idea.”

Hunk smiled. “Did you at least enjoy the cake…?”

Shiro’s smile grew and Hunk was grateful for the counter beneath his arms. If he wasn’t on it, he would have fallen over. “I did. I was glad to find out that you had a bakery. You deserve the business. Lance went a little stir crazy to spread your address around.”

He closed his eyes. Lance had a habit of going overboard at the worst of times. In the end, though, at least it got Shiro to talk to him. Hunk had to remember to thank him personally when he saw him again. There was a recipe that he had been meaning to try and Lance was the perfect test subject to try it out on.

“I would say it’s nothing special, but I know what I’m doing around a kitchen, both baking and cooking.”

“I don’t doubt that.”

Nyma chose this time to slip in beside him, placing her elbow on the counter. “Is there anything I can get you while you decide on what to order? Perhaps a cup of coffee and a cookie?”

Hunk would have pushed Nyma if he had the heart to do it. He wasn’t that kind of guy, though. Remember, his mother had raised him better than that. “Ah, actually, I never thought to ask you why you’ve come by for a visit.”

Shiro ran his fingers through his hair, his hand catching on his headphones. He seemed almost shy, but Hunk blamed that on Nyma’s sudden appearance. “Actually, a coffee and a cookie would be good right now. I came by to see how the bakery looked while on my run. I might as well buy something while I’m here.”

“Oh, you don’t have—”

“Nonsense. After the cake you’ve made, I need to taste what else you can make.”

Nyma’s smile grew and she nudged Hunk with her leg. Seconds ticked by before Hunk realized what she was trying to hint at. She may have been the one to offer to get Shiro’s order, but that was just a step forward. He didn’t know what that step was heading towards, and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to know.

“I’ll take care of you, Shiro.” Hunk excused himself as he slipped past Nyma and headed to the display case.

It didn’t take long to fill his tiny order. One M&M decorated cookie and a medium cup of coffee was all Shiro took. They had exchanged a few pleasantries such as how their respective day had been so far. Hunk’s hand shook as he held out the tiny bag with the cookie and the coffee cup over to Shiro. He played it off as the bakery being too cold.

He wasn’t sure if Shiro took the bait or not. The bakery was warm from all the ovens in the back.

Shiro waved goodbye and left the bakery. Hunk was joined by Nyma to watch him, keeping tabs on him through the window.

The last time Hunk felt a crush this intense was a girl in his cooking class. Shay was a sweet young lady who made dishes just as sweet as she was. During that crush, Hunk was able to confidently talk and discuss ideas with her. He wasn’t afraid, or tongue-tied when it came to her—at least, not always.

Shiro was different. Every time Shiro looked at him, Hunk could feel a frog in his throat and his stomach clenching tighter than a venomous snake. The bite would be much more enjoyable than embarrassing himself in front of his crush. Every second that passed where Hunk couldn’t find anything to say or his mouth gaped open like a fish, he wanted to bury himself in a grave and never escape it.

Nyma hummed, bracing her arms on the counter. “Isn’t he a delicious piece of beef? I should see which butcher he goes to and see if I can get some of that.”

“Nyma, please,” Hunk muttered. He ran his fingers through his hair, his eyes still focused on the window. It felt like he was still waiting for Shiro to come back so that he could see him one last time.

It was foolish thinking, Hunk knew this. That didn’t stop him from thinking it. It felt too much like a TV romcom and not even the good ones. The kind of romcom where the plot didn’t make any sense so long as the couple got together in the end. Snippets of their lives here and there until the two main characters confessed their loves to each other in some public setting so that everyone could cheer around them.

That was the kind of foolish thing that Hunk didn’t want to happen to him. If anyone was going to confess to him, he wanted it done privately.

Hunk shook his head. What was he thinking about?

The more he acknowledged his infatuation, the more he thought of himself as a junior high school girl. The number of girls he had seen swooning over the popular kids (or Lance) always gave him a sour taste in his mouth. He knew that they didn’t know the one they were crushing over. He saw it as silly that they didn’t go up to them to get to know their crush better.

Now Hunk was here, ten some off years later acting the same way as them. It was almost ironic.

“Hello? Earth to Hunk!”

Hunk stared at Nyma’s waving hand. He didn’t know anyone who did that anymore. He took her wrist gently, stopping her movements. “Yes, Nyma?”

“You disappeared for a little bit. You’re still in front of the register, y’know,” Nyma pointed out.

Sure enough, there was a row of customers waiting to be checked out. Not all of them had scowls on their faces, but some looked to be frustrated with their lack of service. They had their items and they wanted to leave.

Hunk berated himself, apologized to them and rang everyone out quickly. Once the line had dwindled down, he closed the register and disappeared back into the kitchen. Nyma followed him.

The cupcakes were cooled completely, and Hunk took them to the decorating table. He grabbed an icing bag filled with buttercream frosting and went to work. Decorating was a calming sensation. Hunk could lose himself in the task, the repetitive motion of piping out the icing and moving on to the next one.

Nyma had no plans on letting him go that easily from what happened with Shiro.

“Hunk, are you keeping something from me?” she asked. Hunk didn’t need to look over his shoulder to see her suspicious grin.

Hunk lowered his piping bag and stared at the wall. Telling Nyma wouldn’t hurt. He couldn’t tell Lance, knowing all too well that he would be teased insistently for days. He was a good guy, Hunk knew this, but there were times when his teasing went too far. Hunk had been on the receiving end of it often enough to know this.

Nyma could keep a secret, but it was fun to tease her back sometimes.

He tightened his grip when he went back to work on the decorating. The icing smeared and drowned a cupcake. “It’s nothing special, Nyma.”

Hunk smiled for the rest of the day.

* * *

Shiro continued to come to the bakery.

Every day.

Well, every day that Hunk was working.

Sometimes Hunk would be in the front of the store, either with a client or taking care of customers, when Shiro walked in. He would wave at him and Shiro would wave back. Shiro never interrupted him while he worked. Hunk would catch glimpses of him waiting at another table, either looking at his phone or watching him.

He was slick, though. Sometimes when Hunk would look to him, Shiro would look away or back at his phone.

Hunk didn’t mind. It felt nice to have someone’s attention like this.

Shiro always visited during or after his afternoon run. Once Hunk was free, he joined Shiro for a cup of coffee and a small chat. During their short times together, Hunk learned that he was a graphic designer for a tiny company. The pay was good enough to support himself and he enjoyed the work he was doing. Before that, he was part of the Air Force before an incident occurred that had him honorably discharged.

Hunk thought he was even more amazing after that.

Nyma was growing more curious about Shiro’s visits with each one. She never told Hunk if he visited on the days he had off or if he never showed up at all. Hunk didn’t dare to ask her, either, because then she knew that something was going on between himself and Shiro. That was the last thing he wanted her to think.

Nothing was happening. They were two friends who enjoyed talking to each other over coffee and maybe something sweet between them. What would be the point in thinking there was something more than that?

Perhaps it was clear to Nyma that Hunk wanted something more from Shiro.

Before, it was just a celebrity crush. While Shiro wasn’t a celebrity by Hollywood standards, he was on Instagram and there were many people who thought so. Hunk wouldn’t lie that he started using his Instagram account. That way he could like every picture that Shiro posted and be part of the same demographic who thought so.

Over the course of Shiro’s visits, which expanded over a month and a half, Hunk found himself loving everything about Shiro. His quirks, his mannerisms, the way he spoke, and how he always had this pleasant feeling radiating from him. Hunk thought it was cute that Shiro would tug at his left ear when he realized he was rambling about something he found interesting.

Hunk pointed it out once, and Shiro’s face grew crimson quickly, the color bleeding from beneath his sweater to flush his face. He found that cute, as well.

His own quirks hadn’t gone unnoticed, either. On the rare occasion that Nyma let him into the kitchen, Shiro had realized Hunk baked to calm down. Hunk was aware of that, but to have someone he liked to point it out had his own face turning red. Shiro laughed and Nyma waggled her eyebrows at him from over his shoulder.

It wasn’t long before regular customers started asking about him and Shiro. Some asked if they were an item and that only managed to send Hunk into a flustered mess. The customers thought it was sweet and were sad when he told them that they weren’t together. To them, when Shiro and Hunk were with each other, they thought they were cute and that he should make the first move and ask him out. They couldn’t stress enough that he should do it before someone else decided to take Shiro away from him.

Hunk didn’t worry about that. He may be crushing hard on Shiro, but he wouldn’t get in the way of his happiness. If there was someone out there that could give Shiro something—something that he was too afraid of giving, then Hunk would happily step aside just to see him smile.

In the grand scheme of things, Shiro’s happiness overpowered Hunk’s—even if Nyma’s voice would pierce his mind, telling him that it wasn’t true.

Hunk wouldn’t listen to it, though. He knew it was right, but it was a hard pill to swallow.

“You’ve got it _bad,”_ Nyma said one day, her voice sounding less sweet than usual.

Hunk refused to acknowledge her truth. He knew he had it bad. He wondered how much longer he would be on this train, chugging along the tracks until he derailed and crashed hard on the side. The crash would be bad, and Hunk knew it was coming.

During the days where he wasn’t spending time with him, Hunk wondered when Shiro would grow bored of him. Any day now, he expected Shiro to stop coming by the bakery. It was hard to shake off that feeling. And he knew that Shiro wasn’t that kind of person—to just use someone up and then toss them aside like he was an old wardrobe. It was a feeling that stayed heavy in his stomach like a rock.

At least when Shiro was around, that feeling ebbed away until it was almost nonexistent. For as long as Shiro’s time with him would allow, Hunk could feel normal and in one piece. He could sit by and listen to Shiro talk or see him smile. Those were the moments that Hunk looked forward to the most.

 

 

 

 

Hunk peeled away from the crowd of people who complimented him for his wedding cake. It was a work of art: six-tiered, sand rose-colored, edible white lilies spread throughout it, topped with an adorable figure of two women—a piece that Hunk worked hard to get right for the happy brides. While Hunk was glad to hear everyone compliment it and drum up some more business for the bakery, he was mentally exhausted. His social battery had depleted, and he wanted to hide away for a while.

He slipped into the bathroom and locked himself in a stall. Lowering the lid, Hunk sat down and released a loud sigh. If someone else was in the bathroom with him, he didn’t care. After all the excitement from today, he needed a chance to take a break. This was the best place to do it.

The first thing he did was pull out his phone. Hunk knew he should answer these messages from Lance and his mother, their messages displayed on his screen, but that was the last thing on his mind.

His thumb swiped along the screen until he tapped Instagram. The first face he saw was Lance smiling, his cheek pressed against Keith’s. They had been dating for a while now. As it turned out, he had been secretly with Keith for longer before they decided to announce it.

Hunk thought they were a nice match for each other. They balanced the other perfectly. Lance was able to get Keith to loosen up and Keith managed to get Lance to tone it down. It was nice to see him a little mellow for once. Hunk thought it was time for Lance to settle down and relax.

However, his face wasn’t what Hunk was looking for.

He immediately went to Shiro’s profile, the stress melting away the moment he saw his face. Today’s pictures were about what he ate today and pictures of cats and dogs he had found during his morning run. Sometimes he would run into the bakery, waving his phone in the air. He always wanted to show Hunk what he saw today and how cute they were. Hunk thought Shiro was the cutest of all.

When he scrolled down, Hunk froze.

Keith was staring up at him now, his face pressed against Shiro’s.

From what Hunk had learned about Keith, he wasn’t a fan of physical touching. Hunk wasn’t sure how he was with Lance, but he had never seen Keith hugging or touching any of his friends. So, it was a shock to see him this friendly with Shiro. He knew that they were close, even though Shiro or Keith had never touched more than what happened at the birthday party, but this was a different level of closeness that Hunk hadn’t expected.

His eyes wandered down to the posts description and his heart leaped to his throat:

_shiro_gone: I don’t always have someone working out with me, but sometimes my brother Keith comes around for #SquatSaturday! It’s gonna take you some time to get glutes and thighs like mine, though, buddy. @bladeofkeith_

Humorous username aside, Hunk couldn’t believe it. Keith and Shiro were related. Shiro was related to Keith and he had been sleeping on it for so long. Neither of the brothers had told him and neither did Lance.

_Lance._

Hunk instantly swiped his thumb to call his friend and brought it to his ear. “I need to talk to you.”

 

 

 

 

With the wedding over, Hunk was pacing Lance’s apartment. Keith was there like he always was. It was strange to see him here so often. They were dating, but Hunk never thought that he was the kind of person to have a toothbrush at his significant other’s place. Lance had beamed so brightly when he told Hunk that Keith was moving in. Keith seemed indifferent about the situation.

They were happy, though.

Hunk ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. He had been there for an hour now and hadn’t explained himself when he called for a meeting. Truthfully, he hadn’t expected to see Keith here. While Hunk knew he could trust him, this was about his _brother._ He could easily turn to Shiro and tell him what he had heard.

“Hunk, buddy, you gotta let me know what’s going on,” Lance finally said. He had been silent for a while, waiting for his friend to pull up the courage to tell him.

Sighing, Hunk sat down in Lance’s recliner. “It’s just… I didn’t know that Keith and Shiro were related.”

“My last name is Shirogane,” Keith said from the dining table. He was hunched over his laptop, typing away at it. “Didn’t Lance tell you that?” Hunk shook his head and Keith scoffed. “Well, that’s on your friend over there. … And my brother if he didn’t tell you, either.”

“It’s not… a big deal,” Hunk answered.

Lance frowned. “I don’t know, Hunk. You’re starting to not make any sense here. I mean, it can’t be a big deal if you came running over here—in your suit, mind you—just to talk about Shiro and Keith being related.”

Hunk knew that he was digging himself a grave right now. It was too late to take his words back and run out the door. What he had said would stick with their tiny group until he admitted the truth. He looked at Lance and then he looked over to Keith. They were looking at him expectantly, waiting or something that Hunk wasn’t sure if he was ready to admit to others. It took him so long to admit it to himself.

“I…”

Hunk licked his lips. He was surrounded by friends. His friends wouldn’t laugh or judge him for something like this. Lance never did when they were in college and he didn’t expect Keith to start doing it. Maybe they’ll tease him for a while, but he didn’t expect them to laugh.

“I have a crush on Shiro…”

The silence was the worst. Hunk could hear the wall clock ticking its seconds away. It felt like the universe had imploded on itself when Keith decided to be the first one to speak.

“I knew that already,” Keith said.

Hunk’s head whipped around, fast enough that he was sure that he had gotten whiplash. Keith had said it without shame. He stared back at Hunk, daring him to challenge him on what he knew. That was what he planned to do.

“How’d you know?” Hunk asked. The only thing keeping him from getting out of his seat was the shock still coursing through his body.

Keith shrugged his shoulders. “It was kind of obvious. Whenever we hung out a little bit, I could see how you look at him. You turn your body towards Shiro, giving him your complete attention whenever he speaks.”

“Keith’s actually the one who told me that you liked Shiro, but of course I didn’t believe it.” Lance shrugged when Hunk’s head whipped towards him. “You don’t really show an interest in anyone, buddy. When you did, I thought you would come to me and tell me right away! I only started believing it when I started looking at how you and Shiro interacted.”

Hunk recalled a time when Nyma told him that Lance was watching through the window. He was always gone before he could confront him about it. After the third time of not catching him, Hunk played it off to Nyma’s imagination—or her desire to tease him over his little crush.

“You don’t think that it’s a little… weird?” Hunk asked.

“Why? Because he’s an Instagram ‘star’?” Lance shot back, bending his fingers in mock quotation marks. “Please.”

Keith snorted. “Shiro doesn’t care as much about his ‘stardom’ as you think. He hadn’t meant to get famous, anyway.”

He stood up and stretched before walking over to Hunk’s side. Keith’s hand on his shoulder was warm and comforting, two things that Hunk hadn’t associated with Keith just yet.

“I think you should talk to Shiro, Hunk,” Keith said. “It would be good for you. You’re getting stressed out from all this.”

 _“That_ and we’re _really_ sick of seeing nothing progress between you two,” Lance added.

“That, too.”

Hunk had no idea that his friends had been watching them this carefully. Had he been so caught up in his own feelings that had hadn’t noticed them spying on him? It wouldn’t have surprised him if Nyma had dropped hints that they had been watching him all along. Of course, if Hunk never caught them, he most likely brushed off the notion.

His friends were right, though. Hunk couldn’t keep on like this anymore. He had to do something about it.

Hunk stood up, feeling energized even after the tiring day he had. “Alright. I’ll do it!”

“That’s my boy!” Lance hopped up and wrapped his arms around Hunk’s large frame. “You’re going to do great, man.”

“And I know the best time to do it.” Keith pulled out his phone and tapped away at the screen. “No matter what, Shiro always goes on a run to warm up for his workouts—Tuesday’s are just his strictly cardio workouts. I always go with him, so you can come with us.”

Hunk bit his lip. Already his nerves were threatening to overcome him. “Would he be alright with that?”

Keith didn’t say anything as he typed. When he was done, he pocketed his phone. “I already told him that you would be joining us. He doesn’t mind.”

“Oh.”

That was happening now. Hunk would go on a cardio “date” with Shiro. Suddenly, he was nervous, and his stomach twisted itself into knots. He gripped his stomach and sat back down in the armchair. Lance moved to help him, and Keith placed a hand on his shoulder.

“I don’t feel so good now…” Hunk muttered.

“You’re just nervous. We’re not letting you chicken out on this now,” Lance said.

Keith gave his shoulder a squeeze. “Lance will go, too, if that makes you feel better. That way we can be a group, and someone can save you when you fail.”

“Keith!” Hunk was grateful that both Lance felt the need to defend him like that.

“Anything can happen!” Keith countered. “If you want to help him get through this, Lance, you’ll wake up early enough to go running with us.”

Lance grumbled and crossed his arms. That was the end of that argument.

Keith turned his attention back to Hunk. “You’re going to be fine, Hunk. Just rely on your charm and let him know how you feel.”

The way Keith said it was almost enough to convince Hunk that he could do it. He had never seen Keith as someone who would lie or bend the truth. If anyone could be counted on, to be honest, it was Keith.

Maybe Hunk did have a chance.

“Thanks, Keith…”

“You’re welcome.”

* * *

Hunk was at their meeting place in the park early. Keith told him to be there by 6:30, but here was there at 6:15. It was cold, and Hunk hoped he had dressed warmly enough. When they started running, he would warm up quickly, but that wouldn’t be until everyone showed up.

He looked at his watch. 6:28. They should be here soon.

“Hunk!”

Shiro jogged into his line of vision and Hunk prayed for his heart to stop beating so fast. They hadn’t even started their run yet.

“Glad to see you’re here nice and early,” Shiro said, his hands on his hips.

“Yeah, well, I was always taught to be prompt and early,” Hunk answered. He couldn’t wipe off his foolish grin even if he tried. “Where are Keith and Lance?”

Shiro laughed, rolling his eyes to the heavens. “Wouldn’t you know that they canceled on us? They said something about staying up too late. Apparently, they can’t move an inch out of bed, they’re so tired.”

Hunk was getting even more nervous now. Keith and Lance were meant to be with him today. They were supposed to back him up and motivate him to speak to Shiro about what he was feeling.

Naturally, though, Hunk wouldn’t say anything to them about it. They had their reasons and they would tell him when he saw them again.

Assuming they wouldn’t hide when he hunted them down.

“Do you feel like starting now?” Shiro questioned, pulling Hunk out of his own little world.

With a heavy sigh, Hunk stood up from the park bench. “Sure. Do we… just start running? Jogging?”

“We can start walking first. It’s always better to warm up for a bit before we start.”

Hunk understood that. At least moving would get his heart to finally stop beating so fast. He hoped. “Okay.”

Shiro’s warm-up consisted of walking for a couple of minutes, then speeding up their walk, before breaking out into a jog. He never sped it up into a full-on run, something that Hunk was sure he would have done if he was alone with Keith.

It amazed Hunk that he managed to keep up with Shiro, but he had a feeling Shiro slowed his pace down for his sake. They jogged around the park a few times before Shiro changed the path and took him elsewhere. Supermarkets were just putting out their produce, kids were running off to school, and others heading to work. The bakery should be opening soon and Nyma would be wondering where he was at.

Hunk would have to tell her something when he saw her again.

An hour after their jog and Hunk was down for the count.

Shiro had brought him up a hill that he hadn’t been aware of before. Reaching the top should have felt like a crowning achievement, but instead, Hunk felt ready to pass out. He couldn’t recall the last time he had done such a strenuous exercise. Perhaps it would have been wiser if he told Shiro that before they started.

“Alright… Let’s take a break here,” Shiro suggested, moving his hands to his hips. He was out of breath, but not as much as Hunk was. “I think we made pretty good progress.”

Hunk slumped and moved to the grass. He laid on it, spreading out his arms and legs. His body was covered in sweat. He knew that he would be wringing out his clothes when he got home later. At least he was warm now. How could Keith keep up with Shiro?

He turned his head as Shiro sat down beside him, letting out a huff of air as he leaned back on his hands. “How are _you_ holding up?”

“Me? Oh, I’m fine,” Shiro answered. Hunk lifted his head and stared at him. “This is only a quarter or half of my usual route.”

_“Half?”_

“Mhm.”

Hunk sighed and pressed his head against the grass. He knew he should be proud of making it through that much of Shiro’s route, but it still didn’t feel like a lot. His body was going to feel it tomorrow. “I don’t know how you do it…”

“I’ve built up my stamina over the years. You can get there, too, with a little bit of work,” Shiro commented. He looked at Hunk and smiled. “If you’d like, a little time with me and we can get you up to a good stamina to keep up with me.”

His muscles collectively groaned at the idea of running again. He was aware that he could exercise well if he put his mind to it, but that wasn’t Hunk’s thing. Maybe one day in the future his mind would change, but that day wasn’t here yet.

“Actually, Shiro… I don’t think I’ll be returning for another round of… cardio or anything…”

Shiro didn’t seem bothered by this. “That’s fine. I was surprised when Keith told me you wanted to join us for a run.” A second passed before Shiro became flustered. “Don’t get me wrong, that isn’t a jibe at you or anything! You just seemed… content to stay at the bakery and bake away.”

Okay.

It was now or never. If Hunk didn’t take the chance now to tell Shiro how he felt, then he was never going to tell him.

Hunk pushed himself up to his hands. His heart banged around in his chest and he willed it to be calm. _Things were going to be okay…_

“I only came by to admit something to you.” Hunk grabbed a handful of grass and refused to look Shiro in the eye. He could feel him staring, though, and that only fueled his heart to beat faster. “I have this sort of… crush on you for a while now…”

There it was.

The truth was out, and he couldn’t take it back.

The only two who heard it were himself and Shiro, and perhaps squirrels and birds in the trees. Hunk understood now that it was better to tell Shiro in the morning. This way, even if they were in public, no one else could intrude on their moment. He would need to remember to thank Keith for the idea.

“Confession time? I’m not exactly a fan of sweets.”

Hunk’s head shot up to stare at Shiro’s sheepish look. “Then why do you keep coming by the bakery? Why did Keith get you an extra chocolate cake?”

“Oh, that was a prank my brother decided to pull. As for coming to the bakery…” Shiro shrugged his shoulders, but Hunk could see the dark color spreading across his cheeks. That wasn’t just a runner’s glow. “I go by to see you and talk for a bit. I drink the coffee, but whatever snack I bought went straight to Keith the moment I returned to our apartment.” He laughed. “Haven’t you seen him rack on a few more pounds?”

Hunk had seen Keith getting a little chubby in the middle.

“Oh,” Hunk said, unsure of what else to say.

“I’ve liked you since you came by for my ‘party’, you know,” Shiro continued. “You intrigued me, so I came by to get to know you better. And I continued to stop by to learn more and more.”

Hunk wasn’t entirely sure what he was hearing. Perhaps he was still numb to the admittance that Shiro liked him. His heart was still thumping around in his chest, ready to escape his chest cavity and land on the grass before him. “And… what did you find out?”

Shiro scooted closer to him until their legs were touching. Hunk immediately felt light headed. “That you’re a kind person who enjoys what he does for a living and cares for his friends. You’re smarter than what others give you credit for and I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who enjoys tinkering with things as much as you do.”

Oh, he was sure he couldn’t breathe now. Hunk buried his hands in his face and groaned loudly. Shiro’s laugh sounded like bells in his ears. He loved it and he wanted to hear it again and again.

“Go on a date with me?”

Hunk’s heart stopped, and he opened his eyes. When had he closed them? Shiro was closer to him now, and his heart started to beat harder once more. “A d-date?”

Shiro laughed. “Yeah. I mean, confessing when you’re sweaty and out of breath has its own… charm, but I’d rather we go out and get something to eat or see a movie. Something cliché and out of some terrible romcom.”

That would be nice. Hunk hadn’t been on a date in he couldn’t tell how long. Somehow, he had a feeling it was in Junior High or maybe even High School. He hadn’t even had the courage to tell Shay that he liked her enough to go on a date with her. That and he was sure her brother Rax would have beaten him up if he tried.

“We can do that,” Hunk answered. “On one condition, though.”

“Shoot.”

 _“I_ get to choose where we go out to eat. No matter where we go, you have to agree with it.”

“Hmm…” Shiro tapped his chin, looking down the hill before him. “You know what? You have yourself a deal.”

“Perfect!” Hunk held out his hand and Shiro shook it. “How about tomorrow? Maybe seven?”

“I can do that. Where do you want to meet?”

“The bakery.” Hunk gave him the biggest smile that he could muster. His cheeks started to hurt after a few seconds of holding it. “I know the perfect place for us to eat.”

Shiro laughed and Hunk’s breath faltered. “I’ll hold you to it then.”

They sat next to each other for a while, watching people come and go up and down the hill.

“Do you need some help standing up?” Shiro suddenly asked.

Hunk groaned, burying his face in his hands. “Yes, please. I can’t feel my legs.”

“I got you, buddy.”

* * *

“Even when you have a date to get ready for, you’re still tirelessly working.”

“I tried to tell him to take the day off, but he wouldn’t listen to me.”

Hunk rolled his eyes at their comment.

His date with Shiro came around quickly. Nyma had indeed told him to stay home to get everything ready, but Hunk was nervous. He may not have appeared to be so, but it was something he couldn’t control like he couldn’t control the urge to breathe. Baking cleared his head and it was always better for him to bake at the bakery instead of at home.

Besides, Hunk had spent a lot of time cleaning his home kitchen up and he didn’t want to ruin it.

“At least I’m dressed for our date,” Hunk said. He pulled off his apron and motioned to himself. An hour before the bakery was meant to close, Hunk excused himself so that he could get ready. Nyma expected him to be there until it was time to see Shiro, but he returned quickly, properly dressed and still as anxious as when he first left.

Shiro chuckled and stepped forward. Hunk tried to ignore how nice he looked in his tight button-down shirt and slacks. He reached up and straightened Hunk’s collar, his fingers brushing against the sensitive flesh of his neck. “You do look handsome, so I think I can forgive you for still working.”

Over Shiro’s shoulder, Hunk could see Nyma waggling her eyebrows at him. He looked away before Shiro could notice how red his face had become. “L-let’s head on out. You have everything, right, Nyma?”

Nyma gave him a mock salute. “Everything will be fine here, sir. Go out and have fun.”

Hunk placed a hand on Shiro’s lower back to lead him out of the bakery. He felt a shudder run up Shiro’s spine and he pulled his hand back, muttering an apology. Shiro only smiled at him.

“So, where are we off to?” Shiro asked.

“My apartment,” Hunk answered almost immediately, pulling on his jacket.

A beat of silence passed before Shiro chuckled. “You know, it takes more than a bottle of wine to get me to dish out on the first date.”

Hunk’s mind had shut down at that moment. It was Shiro’s smile that had done it—that slow shift from gentle to seductive that had him reeling. Instantly, he became a flustered mess and stepped away from Shiro. It wasn’t what he had meant to suggest that they do.

Shiro laughed it off, though, and stepped closer to him. “I’m joking, Hunk. I know you’re not like that.”

“How do you know I’m not like that, though?” Hunk quickly countered. It was another thing he hadn’t meant to say, and he closed his eyes, ready to take the consequences of what he had said.

“Then you’ll just have to prove me wrong, aren’t you?” Shiro entangled their arms together and Hunk’s breath stuttered as he inhaled sharply. “Shall we continue?”

 _Breathe, Hunk._ It was almost like he could hear Nyma’s voice telling him so. This was just a first date and nothing serious ever happened on the first date. They would eat, see a movie, and then they could either walk or go their separate ways. That was only one way the date could go, and Hunk shouldn’t think that far ahead. Not yet, anyway.

The walk to his apartment only took ten minutes. His apartment building wasn’t too fancy, but it was a lot better than the other buildings Hunk had attempted to live in. The water ran hot, and his apartment’s kitchen was big like he liked it. It was spacious, even if it was only him living there. He still didn’t know what to make of the guest room and it had become a play area for Cannoli.

“This is a nice building,” Shiro commented as they stepped onto the elevator.

“Yeah. I like it.” Hunk pressed the button for the twelfth floor. “It took me a while to find this place. It’s like a little gem in the city, y’know?”

“I don’t doubt it.”

Hunk knew that he would eventually struggle to talk about things with Shiro. They had talked so often about themselves, what else was there to mention? Work had been done, the family was a subject that Hunk didn’t think Shiro wanted to traverse down, and friends weren’t something you talked about on a date. … Or was it?

The elevator reaching his floor saved him from deciding on another topic to talk about. He held the door of the elevator, letting Shiro step out first. His apartment was closer to the back, but he still couldn’t complain about how much he liked it.

“Welcome to Chez Garrett,” Hunk announced, opening his apartment door with a flourish. He only smacked himself with second-hand embarrassment when he realized how foolish it was to say that.

Shiro didn’t seem to mind, laughing softly. “It looks nice.”

Hunk’s home didn’t exactly have a modern look to it. Most of it was furniture he ordered from his hometown. It was his own way of bringing his childhood home back to the city with him. It helped a little bit with the homesickness he got on occasion.

Cannoli hopped off the couch and stretched before them. She waddled up to Shiro and brushed against his pants leg. Hunk resisted the urge to shoo her away from his black pants. He didn’t believe that Shiro would appreciate cat hair on his clothes.

But Shiro had proved him wrong again.

He bent down and picked Cannoli up, cradling her in his arms. “And who’s this little one?” There was nothing ‘little’ about Cannoli.

Hunk rubbed at his neck. “That’s… my cat. Cannoli’s a pretty affectionate girl—has been since she was a kitten.” His heart twanged when she pressed her face against Shiro’s, claiming him as her own.

“She’s adorable,” Shiro cooed. He scratched under her chin and pressed their cheeks together. “I don’t think you brought me all the way here just to see your cat, though.”

“You got me,” Hunk said, holding his hands up in defeat. “You’re just here to be an extravagant and overly dressed cat sitter.”

Shiro snapped his fingers. “Damn. The least you could have done was let me wear sweats so that these pants wouldn’t get ruined.”

Hunk liked that Shiro could easily go along with his jokes. Sometimes Lance didn’t want to deal with him.

He stepped forward and stole Cannoli from Shiro’s grip, albeit with a bit of difficulty. Shiro seemed content to keep her in his arms. “We’re here so that I can make dinner for you.”

 _“Make?”_ One of Shiro’s eyebrow lifted to his brow. “Hunk, that’s sweet of you, but we can go to a restaurant. I’m not a picky about where we go.”

“I know you’re not.” Hunk fidgeted from one foot to the other. Cannoli was purring contently in his arms and he tried to use it to calm himself. It didn’t work. “I thought it would be better for me to cook you something nice. I like cooking for people, Shiro.”

Shiro didn’t seem too convinced. Hunk couldn’t think of another way to prove him otherwise.

He set Cannoli down, who let out a trill as her paws hit the hardwood floor. Hunk stepped closer to Shiro. He raised a hand, hesitated, and then cupped Shiro’s cheek. Something fluttered in his chest when Shiro turned his head, pressing his lips against the palm of his hand. Hunk liked the feeling.

“Let me do this for you,” Hunk said, his voice on the verge of pleading.

Shiro inhaled deeply. “Okay.” He turned his face and pressed his cheek into Hunk’s palm. “So, Chef Hunk, what will you be making today?”

Hunk smiled. “How do you feel about salmon?”

“I love it.”

At their feet, Cannoli mewled and pawed at Hunk’s leg. She rubbed against the two of them, purring loudly. Shiro was the one to break their physical contact to pick her up. “I guess I’m not the only one.”

“I better get started then.” Hunk motioned for Shiro to follow him into the kitchen. He had prepared the ingredients when he came back to change into more appropriate clothing. They should all be ready now. “Do you cook?” he asked, pulling his cooking apron on.

Shiro grimaced as he climbed onto one of the stools surrounding the kitchen island. “I’m not great at it, so I really don’t. I’m lucky enough I don’t burn eggs, but I do brown them.”

“It’s safe to say that Keith does most of the cooking then?”

“That or take-out. Not the healthiest, but it’s better than calling the fire department every time I put a frying pan on the stove.”

Hunk laughed.

The kitchen quickly filled with the smells of Hunk’s cooking. With every new ingredient he had used, he held it out for Cannoli to smell or for Shiro to taste. Between the sounds of him mixing the ingredients, Shiro and he talked about where they had come from, something that they hadn’t touched on before. It was pleasant to learn that they had both come from quiet little towns before moving into bigger cities.

After the incident, Shiro had bounced from place to place in the efforts of finding a place to settle down at. The only reason he chose their current city was because Keith had moved in with him when he was only fifteen. Being in one place was better than moving around for a teenager of that age. Hunk agreed with Shiro when he said that Keith wouldn’t have minded the constant travel.

When Shiro started to get Hunk going about where he had come from, Hunk found that he couldn’t stop. He talked about all the different flora and fauna that were on his island or the ones surrounding them. His hands moved dramatically as he spoke, but Shiro never told him to slow down or stop. He sat at the kitchen island with his chin in his hand, watching Hunk with interest the more he spoke.

Hunk let slip on how he would like to take Shiro to see it one day and his face felt like it was melting. Shiro only smiled and said that he would like that.

To save himself from more embarrassment, Hunk pulled the baked salmon out of the oven. He grabbed two plates and piled them both would food, seasoning them with salt and pepper and garnishing them with a lemon. He resisted the urge to present the plates with a flourish, slipping Shiro’s in front of him.

“Be careful of Cannoli,” Hunk warned. “She just might try to steal your food.” Right on cue, she pressed her head between Shiro’s body and the crook of his arm, pressing her nose to the edge of the plate. “Told you.”

Shiro chuckled and gently nudged her away. “No way, Cannoli. You get all the chance in the world to sample your dad’s cooking. I’m not passing this up.”

He cut into the salmon and popped a bite in his mouth. Hunk waited with baited breath for Shiro to show some kind of reaction. It pleased him to see Shiro’s eyelids flutter, a pleased hum escaping him.

“This is really good!”

“I’m glad you like it,” Hunk muttered.

“I do.” Shiro put another bite in his mouth and he nudged Cannoli away again. “You cook as well as you bake, but you decided to open a bakery instead of a restaurant. Why’s that?”

Hunk put down his fork and swallowed his bite. “It was something different. My mother has a restaurant of her own that she runs with my grandmother on my home island.” Suddenly remembering about drinks, he backed up to the fridge. “I told myself that if I ever moved away, I would open a bakery. Everyone back home liked my sweets, so I thought it was the best path for me.”

“I’m not a fan of sweets, but I did like what you made for my birthday.”

“Even if it was a prank cake pulled by your brother?” Hunk asked with a smile.

“Even if it was a prank cake pulled by my brother.”

“Do you want water or maybe wine?”

Shiro smiled. “Did you buy wine just for today, Hunk?”

Hunk knew his face was red without looking for Shiro’s reaction.

“I’ll take the wine.”

Dinner continued without another thing going wrong. Not that Hunk could say anything went wrong in the first place. Shiro hadn’t said a foul thing about how the night was going and he didn’t seem to be bored with him. Hunk believed that if he was really having a bad time, Shiro would politely excuse himself or tell him flat out that he was.

Shiro was content eating his food, drinking the wine that Hunk made sure to splurge on, and petting Cannoli who had practically glued herself to his side.

This was nice. It had been such a long time that he had been on a date, especially one that was as pleasing as this one. Hunk hadn’t realized how much he needed something like this until it happened. They were content with staying at home and eating a home cooked meal that was light and easy. If there would be another date, he wouldn’t mind doing this again.

Shiro sighed happily and stood up from his seat with his plate. Hunk reached for it, but Shiro held a hand up, putting his own dishes in the sink to rinse them off. He shook his hands free from water and turned to Hunk. “So, what do you have planned now?”

Hunk tried to bite his smile back, but he knew he failed. “What makes you think I have all this planned?”

 _“Hunk,”_ Shiro scolded, crossing his arms.

“Okay, okay.” He motioned for Shiro to follow him into the living room. There were a few movies he had raided from Lance the night they schedule their date. Action, science fiction, comedy, romance, Hunk couldn’t pick! He just grabbed a few movies from Lance’s shelf and hurried them back to his place. “So, I have a few movies for us to watch. Or we can go to the movies instead.”

Shiro leaned over the movies, shifting some of them around. He hummed and lifted one up to wave it at Hunk. _“No Reservations?”_

Hunk pouted and took the movie. “This is actually one of mine. When did Lance take it from my shelves…?”

“You might want to search all his shelves then. There might be a few more of your movies there.”

Shiro sat down on the couch and immediately got comfy on the cushions. Hunk thought he looked perfect there—as if there was something missing from his furniture set and it was Shiro who had to complete it all along.

“Yeah…” Hunk muttered. “I should probably give them a check…”

Shiro tilted his head. “Are you okay?”

Hunk pulled himself back to the present and laughed. “Y-yeah. I’m fine. I was just thinking of something.”

Before Shiro could question him, Hunk was already popping in the DVD.

 

 

 

 

Hunk woke up groggy a few hours later.

He peeled open his eyes and stared at the TV screen. _Keeping Up with the Joneses_ menu screen was staring at him, playing on repeat. For a moment, he wasn’t sure why he had fallen asleep on the couch. The heavy weight on his shoulder brought everything back to him and it was hard to resist the urge to shift.

He did, though, turning his head slightly to see Shiro sleeping soundly.

Hunk couldn’t remember when he grabbed a blanket for them to cuddle under. Had he gone to get it? Maybe Shiro slipped into his room or linen closet to grab it. When did either of them get cold? What time was it?

He didn’t want to move to check his phone and disturb Shiro. Hunk had committed to his life of always being Shiro’s headrest and he didn’t see himself getting bored of it soon. Besides, Cannoli seemed content to sleep on his lap, too.

This was nice, though, and Hunk always wanted to feel this way. Carefully, he turned his head and placed a soft kiss along Shiro’s hairline. His breath caught in his throat as Shiro shifted, but he didn’t wake up. Hunk sighed softly and pressed his cheek against his head. They could sleep for a little while longer.

But a piercing sound went through the apartment and it roused all of them from their sleepy state.

Shiro was the first one to move, sitting up properly and dropping the blanket from their shoulders. He yawned and, looking back at Hunk, he gave him a sleepy smile. Hunk returned it just before Shiro stood up and move back towards the kitchen where his jacket was.

 _“Shoot!”_ Shiro exclaimed after a moment of silence.

Hunk stood up, disturbing Cannoli from her rest, and wandered over to Shiro. “What’s wrong?”

Shiro groaned and ran his left hand down his face. “It’s midnight.”

He smiled. “Are you going to turn back into a pumpkin now?” Hunk laughed when Shiro sent him a biting look. It had no real anger behind it, especially since he was smiling.

“Keith’s been calling me for a while now,” Shiro explained. “I think he’s starting to get worried.”

That was a reasonable response. Hunk often worried for his family members if they were out too late. After what Shiro had told him about his family, Keith worried about Shiro being out even this late was justified. “Guess you should start heading home, huh?”

“Yeah.” Shiro pocketed his phone again and pulled his coat on. He stepped closer to Hunk and placed both his hands on his biceps. Hunk could feel the warmth radiating from his left palm. “I had a fun time tonight. It’s definitely one of the most interesting dates that I’ve been on.”

“Really?” Hunk ran a hand through his hair. “It wasn’t too boring or anything?”

“I think we would have found a way to make a regular date more interesting, but if I had to choose? I’d choose this date again and again.”

Hunk’s heart fluttered in his chest, tiny wings sprouting from its sides to brush along his ribs. “I’m glad.” He cleared his throat and raised his own hands. He struggled for a moment on deciding to place them on Shiro’s hips or not. Instead, he placed them along Shiro’s ribs. “Let me walk you to the train station or bus station or however you plan on getting home.”

“That’s sweet of you, Hunk, but you have work tomorrow. I can’t have you come with me when you should be getting some rest,” Shiro said. “I can wait for an Uber alone. It’s not an issue.”

“Shiro, let me keep you company—”

“N-o spells no, Hunk. I want you to get ready for bed.”

Hunk laughed. It was clear that Shiro wouldn’t budge from his decision. “Alright, alright. Can I walk for you to the elevator and wait for it with you?”

Shiro’s shoulders shook as he laughed. “Okay. I can give you that much.”

They walked slowly to the elevator, a silent agreement that they wanted to drag out their time together. The elevator was only a couple of feet from Hunk’s door, but they made it last for a mile. Hunk pressed the button to call for it, pleased that it would take a while before it would come.

Side by side they stood together, smiles on their faces.

“We should do this again,” Shiro said, breaking their comfortable silence.

Hunk turned to him. “Do you want to do it again?”

Shiro nodded. “Yeah. Maybe in two weeks? Three?”

His cheeks were starting to hurt from how much he had been smiling today. His own heart had gone into overdrive so many times that Hunk feared he would need a new one before summer started. Even sooner if Shiro continued to look at him like a new galaxy had been born right before his eyes.

No one had ever looked at him like that before.

“That would be nice. We could always do something different,” Hunk said.

“I’m sure we can figure it out together.”

The elevator arrived, and they separated with the smallest wave of their hands. Hunk made sure to wait until the doors closed before he decided to walk back to his apartment.

Hunk felt like he was walking on air. Every step was light, and his head was in the clouds. There was a moment where he would have crashed into a wall and a decorative vase, but he managed to avoid it. Only barely, though.

Back in his apartment, Cannoli was waiting for him on the back of the couch. She peered at him with her eyes as slits, her tail twitching back and forth. Hunk wasn’t sure if she was irritated by him or not. She wasn’t ignoring him, so Hunk saw it as a good sign.

“I have a good feeling about this, Cannoli,” Hunk whispered as he approached her. She trilled and jumped into his arms. Her purring calmed him and brought him back from his Nirvana-like state. “I have a really good feeling…”

The sudden and rapid knock on his door made them both jump, Cannoli hopping down from his arms and running off to hide.

It sounded again, quicker this time, and Hunk sighed.

“I’m coming, I’m coming,” Hunk muttered when it came again. The only one who he could guess was here at this time of night was Lance. He was probably here to see how well Hunk’s date was going. Lance never was one to waste any time.

When he opened the door, though, it was Shiro who stood before him, out of breath and red in the face.

“Shiro? I thought—”

His heart leaped into his throat as Shiro surged forward and brought their lips together. Electricity sparked through their lips and Hunk stumbled further back into the apartment. He would have made it to the couch from Shiro’s sheer force if he hadn’t pushed back against him. Before Hunk could fully process how the kiss was making him feel, the kiss was broken, their lips a hair width apart from each other.

“S-sorry…” Shiro panted. “I knew I would regret it all night and day if I didn’t come back to do that…”

Hunk licked his lips, grazing Shiro’s lips with the motion and tasting him. “I’m glad you did it, then…”

Shiro laughed and pulled away from him, backing up to the door that was still opened wide. Hunk followed him, their hands linked together. He was reluctant to let him go. “I should go before my Uber gets here. … Can I text you later…?”

“Please do.”

“Then I will.” They finally let go of each other and Shiro was back in the hallway. “Have a good night, Hunk.”

Hunk waved at him as he left. He was at a loss for words, watching Shiro walk back to the elevator. It was Cannoli who made him close the door. She trilled softly to him, rubbing against his leg. Hunk obeyed, closing it with a soft click. He pressed his back against it and slid to the floor.

There were no words to explain how good he felt. Shiro kissing him felt like the first warm day after winter. That kiss had melted something inside him and Hunk wanted to soak up every minute of Shiro’s rays of sun.

He had a good feeling about this thing he had started with Shiro.

**Author's Note:**

> Eventually, they get together and Shiro moves in with Hunk. He gets a hairless cat named Sphynx. Hunk teaches Shiro how to make all the dishes that he used to have as a kid so that he can make them for Keith. He also takes Shiro to his home island and introduces him to the family. :3c
> 
> I hope you all liked it. I can't remember where I got the idea from, but this story definitely got carried away without me realizing it. I expected it to be long, but I never expected it to be _this_ long! It'll probably be one of my crowning achievements for 2018. I hope you all enjoyed it!
> 
>  
> 
> [Come talk to me on twitter!](http://twitter.com/val_hellaa/)


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